The notion that musical training can have positive effects on cognitive functions other than music has long been a source of interest. Research first emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. Standardised assessments of IQ and musical ability suggested the two were correlated – and it was thought that… »7/21/15 10:40am 7/21/15 10:40am

Foo Fighter’s front man David Grohl recently broke his leg during a show last June, and had cancelled several shows. The band went back on stage, with Grohl perched on a throne of guitars that looks like it was more than a little inspired by Game of Thrones. »7/05/15 11:30am 7/05/15 11:30am

One of the saddest things about the live-action Jem & the Holograms movie is that Jem’s rival band, the Misfits, are nowhere to be found. That’s incredibly dumb—because the Misfits are an integral part of why the 80s cartoon was so amazing. And, if you believe the opening theme, their songs are actually better. »7/03/15 10:00am 7/03/15 10:00am

Take Flight, the debut album from The Write Brothers, equal parts rapper Devon Ewalt and producer Dante Davinci is a seamless blend of geeky wordplay and hip hop. It’s a fun, engaging record, one that’s catchy and intimate at the same time. »6/14/15 2:00pm 6/14/15 2:00pm

How did civilization exist before we had this? A group of 49 animation students were each given 52 frames of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” music video, to rotoscope anyway they wanted. The results are surreal and astonishing. Can’t stop, won’t stop, watching this madness. »5/21/15 2:16pm 5/21/15 2:16pm

For Red Nose Day, Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage is singing a hilarious blues jam about the fact that he’s “Still Going Strong” after Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon and so many other great characters have died. Basically, he’s paid the cost to be the boss. [h/t Frank!] »5/20/15 1:27pm 5/20/15 1:27pm

The Slovenian avant-garde rock band Laibach references science fiction a lot in their music, from Margaret Atwood to Kurt Vonnegut — and they did music for the science fiction spoof Iron Sky. In a new interview, they explain why science fiction is such an important dialectic for them. »5/20/15 12:37pm 5/20/15 12:37pm

Here it is — the video for “Pretty Girls” by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea, which is supposedly inspired by the classic movie Earth Girls Are Easy. The best part is where the women say things like “Your alien powers are like totally radical” to Iggy, who’s a visiting alien who just wants to party. »5/13/15 11:28am 5/13/15 11:28am

There is no question that the human voice is a remarkable musical instrument, but few singing styles hit that point home as well as overtone singing — commonly known as throat singing —does. And it’s incredible to hear and watch multiple pitches coming out of a single mouth. »5/08/15 4:00pm 5/08/15 4:00pm

Switching a song into a different key can entirely change the way that song feels. So what does this chart, which shows which musical keys are most commonly used, tell us about the way we actually like to listen to music? »5/08/15 9:40am 5/08/15 9:40am

We’re used to seeing a wide variety of instruments, from the tiny piccolo to the grand piano, but every now and then, someone designs an instrument so magnificent or unusual that it takes a while to wrap our brains around them. So what do they sound like? And how exactly do you play them? »4/29/15 4:00pm 4/29/15 4:00pm

Particle physicist and musician Piotr Traczyk has taken data plots from the historic discovery of the Higgs boson and converted it into music that can be played by two guitars. Heavy metal guitars, to be more precise. The result is as nerdy as it is excellent. »4/14/15 2:40pm 4/14/15 2:40pm

Beloved comedy duo Key & Peele had a fantastic idea for a sketch that they couldn't get produced, but thankfully it's been recreated in animation. And if you loved '90s movie anthems — TMNT: Legend of the Ooze-style — you're going to love Key & Peele's "Aliens on the Run." »4/07/15 1:49pm 4/07/15 1:49pm